2,500 attend moment of silence Sunday to honor Joplin tornado victims

Tuesday

May 31, 2011 at 12:01 AMMay 31, 2011 at 3:08 AM

City officials estimate 2,500 people gathered ar Cunningham Park at 5:41 p.m. Sunday, one week exactly after the tornado tore through Joplin. Hundreds more gathered in spots around Joplin, or simply paused where they were at 5:41 p.m. on Sunday, the moment the tornado touched down west of Schifferdecker Road in Joplin.

John Hacker

Mark Rohr is a big guy.

The Joplin city manager is a physically imposing person who keeps himself in good shape.

However, the past week has been enough to emotionally beat the strongest of people down and even Rohr had to fight through the tears a few times during Sunday’s moment of silence marking the one-week anniversary of the EF5 tornado that shattered Joplin.

“Being the Joplin city manager, typically, if you’ve been watching during the week, I prepare statements to read to the press,” Rohr said to open the ceremony at around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. “Beneath the monotone, there’s a turbulent sea and that is my way in terms of planning and dealing with things to try and be as structured as possible.

“Today I speak from the heart. I do have some notes, I do have an outline to help me if I lose my way, but the message comes from the heart. If I have trouble getting through this, I apologize to the citizens in advance.”

Tears and hugs were available in abundance in the parking lot of Cunningham Park, across the street from the shattered St. John’s Regional Medical Center, a building that has become an icon to the past week’s struggles.

City officials estimate 2,500 people gathered in the park. Hundreds more gathered in spots around Joplin, or simply paused where they were at 5:41 p.m. on Sunday, the moment the tornado touched down west of Schifferdecker Road in Joplin.

Some people who gathered at the park were survivors.

Kathy White hugged her sister, JoAnn Molinar and held her hand during the ceremony. Both sisters lived with their families in the neighborhood west of St. John’s and rode the storm out in Molinar’s basement. White and her family ran the short distance between their houses minutes before the tornado hit.

“I was trying to get everyone in the basement, my son was running down the hill,” White said. “I looked out to the left and I saw it coming. The lines were sparking and it was just very scary.”

White’s home was destroyed and Molinar’s home was damaged and likely will have to be replaced.

Everyone in her family survived, and the storm has left a permanent mark, but the help of the thousands of volunteers and Sunday’s service is helping her to start to heal.

“All I have to do is just go outside my house and my yard is full of people I don’t even know and they’re from all over and they’re clearing my timber and they’re just all over,” White said. “I think my faith is very much renewed in the people.”

Others at the service were Joplin residents who weren’t in the damaged area, but found themselves affected nonetheless.

Some, like Andrea Tate, Jonesboro, Ark., drove hundreds of miles to try to help strangers, just because they wanted to help.

Andrea’s daughter, Emily Tate sat at her feet holding a tiny black puppy they rescued and named Joplin. The puppy had no collar and no identifying marks so they’re taking it home with them to raise.

“This was a wonderful, humbling experience,” Andrea Tate said as she stood in the crowd with her son, Knute, and others who came with her. “Nine of us wanted to come just to help. We’re staying in Mount Vernon. We love to help people and we just couldn’t stay away.”